Transparent star: I understand frustration with male actor playing trans woman
Amy Landecker has addressed “frustration” with the casting of Jeffrey Tambor as a transgender woman.
The new Amazon Instant Video series, which focuses on a trans woman coming out to her family, has attracted a mixed reaction from the trans community, with some criticizing the lack of a trans woman in a lead role.
The show’s creator Jill Solloway previously revealed that the show is partly autobiographical, with Tambor’s character Maura Pfefferman modeled after Solloway’s own trans parent.
Speaking to Huffington Post, Landecker – who plays Maura’s daughter Sarah Pfefferman on the series, said: “I understand it’s frustrating for that community.
“Maura is pre-transition when we start the show.
“With Laverne Cox [of Orange is the New Black] – when they do flashbacks, it’s her twin brother – that’s a transition that is quite complex and not so easy to represent.
Landecker added “Jill casts from a very personal place. in her mind, she would see Jeffrey through the years and he reminded her of her father and I think she felt very deeply that he was the right actor for this part.
“I think he’s proven himself in his respect and commitment and stunning performance.
“She has also had a commitment in all other areas of production to include the trans community, and it has hired the most trans actors of any shows that has ever been done on television.
It has a trans affirmative action plan in all areas of production – people in the camera department people in wardrobe, people in the background department.
“Economically, it’s probably hired more [trans] people than any show in history.”
